A few weeks ago I took some time to reflect back over 2016.
I started with a blank page in my navy blue, leather bound journal. At the top I
wrote the word THANKFUL.
Thankful was my theme for 2016. It certainly set a ton for my year, but I wasn’t
always the best at remembering to be thankful. In my mind, when I sat down to
begin my reflection, it was motivated by all the really difficult events our
family had experienced in 2016. There was death, illness, car break downs,
disobedient children, lack of grant funding, discontentment with my job, and
saying good-bye to friends who moved away. Then there’s the social injustices
in our country and the world that leave a lump in my throat, a knot in my
stomach and cause a lot of restless nights pondering how to “fix it”.
Praise the Lord! He was right there with me when I put my
pen to that blank page. After titling the page “The Year 2016” I wrote “started
with the word THANKFUL”.
What? I was not thinking about being thankful when I sat down. This was going
to be a list of my grief and pain in 2016. It was hard, but God lead me to
start with THANKFUL.
So…the page is not only filled with the list from my first paragraph, but it
also contains:
-
Our annual kid-free get away (to Boston in 2016)
-
Trip to Philadelphia for Wesley and Taylor’s
wedding
-
Celebrating Taylor’s Olympic debut and gold
medal
-
Cash to pay for all the extra car breakdowns and unexpected events
-
GroveU college students
-
Leading All 4 One weekend of service
-
4th annual Greenhouse Lock-In (record
100 kids attended)
-
My 20-year high school class reunion
-
Former student-athletes coming to visit us
-
Debt free plan coming to completion
-
Mini weekend vacations
-
Awesome camp
experiences for the kids
-
New friendships
-
Hard conversations to bring light into dark
places
Wow! What an amazing year when you look at that list. As I put
both lists under the perspective of THANKFUL I can celebrate it all. The hard
stuff helped me trust God’s plan and purpose for my life. The fun stuff helped
me relax and rest in His goodness. The completion of some things and newness of
others helped me believe more in God’s faithfulness. I am THANKFUL
for every single thing I wrote on that page (I ran out of room) because God is
working in all of it for my good.
Now comes the enormous task of looking ahead to 2017. What
does God have planned for this year and what will my perspective be? Will I have
learned from my year of THANKFUL in all things? The answer came on
Christmas morning.
I have been running for about 2 ½ years and live most days
dressed to exercise. I have a small collection of funky looking running tights.
My collection grew by one when I opened a package from Tyrone. It was a new
pair of capris-length, Nike running tights. They are purple, grey and black in
a zebra striped pattern. Tyrone picked them because he likes how they make my
bootie look ;-) God picked them just for me because inside the waist band,
which was surprisingly comfortable, were the words “RUN FAST. LIVE FEARLESS.”
There it is! Immediately I knew my theme for 2017 was meant to be LIVE
FEARLESS. I also intend to run fast (relatively speaking) too. On the
foundation of thankfulness in all things I can live a fearless life. In a world
that is full of grief and despair, I can live fearlessly because God is with me.
In a world plagued by hatred and intolerance, I can lead with love for everyone
in my path. In a world full of uncertainty and injustice, I can rest in the
Sovereign Creator who never falls asleep on the job. In a world buried in the darkness
of sin, I can reflect the light of my Savior Jesus Christ so other see there is
hope.
There will be two lists again at the end of 2017. One list
of the great things. One list of the bad things. When I get overwhelmed by the bad,
I pray for the strength to trust. When I get lulled into the false security of
the good, I pray I will awaken quickly to worship. I hope, and you can pray for me, that I will
have LIVED FEARLESS on the foundation of THANKFUL through it all for the
glory of God so that people from every age, race, gender and sin will know and
worship him.
